by Dianelis Hernández
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, signingAn executive order this Tuesday that will allow him to drastically limit asylum requests on the border with Mexico if the number of migrant arrests exceeds a specific threshold, the EFE news agency reported.
This order will allow US authorities to deport those who do not meet strict asylum standards when the number of 2,500 people detained at the border for an average of seven days is exceeded, senior US officials told the press.
The order will come into force this Tuesday because that number of arrests is already being exceeded, with an average of 4,200 daily arrests that occurred in April, the latest official figure available.
Those who are Mexicans or nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela will be returned directly to Mexico under prior US agreements with Mexican authorities.
On the other hand, those who arrive at the border from other parts, both inside and outside the American continent, such as Colombia or Ecuador, will be expelled on deportation flights.
In any case, the officials argued that the United States will adhere to the obligations of the United Nations convention against torture, which prohibits deporting someone to a country where they may be tortured.
According to the document, the border would reopen once daily illegal crossings decrease.
Likewise, it was confirmed that the asylum cases of people who have requested an appointment through the CBP One mobile application will continue to be processed , which offers approximately 1,450 daily appointments to request asylum.
The order comes six months before the general elections, in which Biden aspires to be re-elected for a second term. Migration management has become a central issue for voters, surpassing issues related to the economy and inflation, according to a Gallup survey published at the end of April.
For his part, former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has strongly criticized this measure, accusing Biden of creating a “crisis” on the border during his current administration.
This Tuesday, the magnate described as “amnesty” the executive order that the Democratic president plans to sign today to limit asylum requests at the border, in what is one of his toughest immigration measures.
“Let’s be clear: Joe Biden’s executive order is an amnesty, it is not for border security,” Karoline Leavitt , national press secretary of the Trump campaign, said in a statement, EFE noted .
News portals claim that the White House plans to announce the proposal at an event with mayors of border cities.
Although record numbers of arrests were recorded on the border with Mexico last year, so far this year these numbers have been drastically reduced. Last April alone, US authorities reported 128,900 arrests of migrants who tried to cross irregularly into the US . However, in December 2023 there were almost 250 thousand arrests.
But this is not the first time that Biden has announced measures to control land migration. In May of last year, his government made a series of changes to classify as “not eligible” to apply for asylum migrants who cross the border irregularly and who have not requested protection in a third country during their journey to the United States. USA
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Dianelis Hernández is a reporter for ADN America.
